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The Brunswick mayoral election is big, but a city commission race has public's attention

BRUNSWICK | The mayor’s race is always the big one in municipal elections.

But the four-candidate race to replace Mayor Bryan Thompson is being overshadowed by a down-ballot race in Tuesday’s Brunswick city election.

City Commissioner Cornell Harvey faces three other candidates — Zack Lyde, Valerie Scriven and Starling Sutton — in the race for mayor. After two four-year terms, Mayor Bryan Thompson is leaving office because of term limits and Harvey wants to replace him.

The talker, however, may be suspended Commissioner James Brooks’ quest to get his South Ward seat back just over a month before he goes to trial in Camden County on a racketeering indictment.

Brooks faces Emmitt Nolan, the man Gov. Nathan Deal appointed to fill the seat after suspending Brooks, and Felicia Harris, 47, who was one of five finalists for the appointment.

Brooks, a 60-year-old home healthcare provider and associate pastor, faces racketeering charges stemming from allegations of influence peddling but won’t go to trial until December.

He said his support remains strong despite his legal woes.

“My constituents know they’re bogus charges, and that’s why they’re supporting me,” he said. “My record of eight years as a commissioner speaks for itself.”

If re-elected, Brooks will return to the commission, Deal’s office has said. He would be removed only if convicted.

Brooks said the mayor and commission need to be more active in attempting to bring new businesses into the city.

“We should not depend exclusively on the development authority to do it,” he said.

Nolan, a 38-year-old property appraiser for Glynn County, said he has benefited from the experience gained while holding Brooks’ former seat on the commission since August.

“The experience I have gained in being a commissioner has given me a new appreciation for people that put themselves out there to serve the community in such a capacity,” he said.

Nolan said he has worked as part of a team and done the hard work and research necessary to be an effective commissioner.

Harris, a revenue officer advisor for the IRS, said that the key to improving the city is “unity between the governing entities.”

“There’s too much division between the city, county and the school board,” she said. “We need to bring them together, have a collaborative effort to solve the problems with the economy, public safety and education.”

The 60-year-old Harvey cites his readiness for the mayor’s office. He is retiring as Human Resources director for the Jekyll Island Authority at year’s end and says his experience in managing personnel and his 10 years as a city commissioner would serve him well if he is elected.

“I will bring leadership to the job,” he said. “I know how to bring order and peace to a situation.”

Sutton, 67, has 35 years of experience in the community development field. Like Harvey, he believes his work experience qualifies him for the role of mayor.

“I worked with communities and governmental entities to put together revitalization plans and implement them,” the political novice said.

Insurance salesman, pastor and activist Zack Lyde said he has the leadership ability to solve Brunswick’s problems, which all candidates agree include blight, crime and a lack of jobs.

“I know we can do it because I’ve been doing it for people for a long time,” he said.

The remaining candidate, 51-year-old Valerie Scriven, said she is unemployed and hopes to be elected mayor.

She simply asks everyone to vote for her.

In the North Ward race, Neil Foster, Gary Cook and Vincent T. Williams are running for the seat Harvey will vacate.

For two of them the big issue is garbage collection.

Cook, 54, has sued the city over its decision to collect garbage and yard trash fees through an annual lump sum of $247.20 attached to property tax bills instead of a monthly fee of $20.60. And Foster, a 65-year-old real estate broker, said the move takes $1.1 million out of the local economy and puts it into city coffers.

“This especially puts an undue burden on rental property owners, who have to come up with thousands of dollars at the end of the year, and that’s not a good time,” he said.

Foster owns rental property, but he said it’s not just rental property owners who are upset. Elderly, people with limited incomes and others were given two months notice that they had to come up with a year’s worth of garbage fees or risk defaulting on their tax bills.

But Foster said that is just a side issue, that his main thrust is getting jobs back into the city.

Cook said the city kept residents in the dark about the garbage deal, and has done so on other occasions.

“We need transparency in government,” he said.

Williams, 48, pastor at Word of Faith Church, said the city should not only bring in more jobs, but see that skilled workers are available to fill them.

“We have a high dropout rate and we have to go back and get those who have fallen through the cracks,” he said. “We need to make them work-ready.”